Fluid driven propulsion and generator mechanism

ABSTRACT

A duct is formed through a vessel. An electro-magnet is positioned around the duct at a point such that the poles thereof form opposed portions of the duct. A vane is positioned within the duct to move from side-to-side thereof and has a permanent magnet attached thereto in a position between the two opposed poles of the electro-magnet. At the rearward end of the vane there is provided an extension pole having a contact at the upper end thereof. This pole extends through the upper wall of the duct into an air tight chamber. Mounted on opposite sides of the chamber are a plurality of change-over terminals which are connected to a switching arrangement which is in turn connected to the coils of the electro-magnet such that movement of the contact operates to reverse the polarity of the poles of the electro-magnet. Alternatively, the pole of the vane is an extension of a shaft mounting the vane. The permanent magnet is attached to the top of this extension. A plurality of electromagnets are arranged outwardly of the duct in a manner that movement of the permanent magnet will sequentially interrupt fields generated by the electro-magnets.

United States Patent 91 Ohnaka FLUID DRIVEN PROPULSION AND GENERATORMECHANISM Jumpei Ohnaka, 9-37 Honmachi, Kurashiki, Japan 22 Filed: Dec.23, 1971 211 Appl.- No.: 211,244

[76] Inventor:

[30] Foreign Application Priority Data Primary Examiner-Carlton R.Croyle Assistant Examiner-Richard Saer Attorney-E. F. Wenderoth et al.

[ 5 7 ABSTRACT A duct is formed through a vessel. An electro-magnet ispositioned around the duct at a point such that the poles thereof formopposed portions of the duct. A vane is positioned within the duct tomove from sideto-side thereof and has a permanent magnet attachedthereto in a position between the two opposed poles of theelectro-magnet. At the rearward end of the vane there is provided anextension pole having a contact at the upper end thereof. This poleextends through the upper wall of the duct into an air tight chamber.Mounted on opposite sides of the chamber are a plurality of change-overterminals which are connected to a switching arrangement which is inturn connected to the coils of the electro-magnet such that movement ofthe contact operates to reverse the polarity of the poles of theelectro-magnet. Alternatively, the pole of the vane is an extension of ashaft mounting the vane. The permanent magnet is attached to the top ofthis extension. A plurality of electro-magnets are arranged outwardly ofthe duct in a manner that movement of the permanent magnet willsequentially interrupt fields generated by the electro-magnets.

4 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures Pmmtnnm 161975 SHEET 10F 3 FIG.2

ATTORNEYS FLUID DRIVEN PROPULSION AND GENERATOR MECHANISM BACKGROUND OFTHE INVENTION The present invention relates to a fluid driven mechanismwhich may be used to propel a vessel or generate electricity. Moreparticularly, the present invention relates to such a mechanism which isparticularly adapted for use in bodies of water and which employsmovement therethrough of the water.

In the past there have been attempts to provide propulsion systems forvessels wherein movement of water through the vessel is the source ofpropulsion. Furthermore, there have been various attempts in permanentstructures near bodies of water, for instance lighthouses, to provideelectrical generators of the type wherein movement of water through thestructure is the power source. However, all of these devices havesuffered from certain inherent disadvantages. Aparticular problem insuch prior devices has been providing isolation of the variouselectrical components thereof from the water. It is of course. readilyapparent that contamination by water of any electrical component isextremely undesirable.

OBJECTS AND BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION With the above discussionin mind, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide afluid driven mechanism which may be used as a means of propelling avessel through a body of water.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a fluiddriven mechanism which may be used in a permanent installation near abody of water as an electrical generator and uses movement of watertherethrough as a power source.

It is a still further object of the present invention to provide such amechanism which inherently insures isolation from the water of thevarious electrical components of themechanism.

These objects are achieved in accordance with the present invention bythe provision of a water tight duct extending through the vessel orstructure and through which water is adapted to flow. In the case of avessel which moves through the water, an electro-magnet is positionedaround the duct at a point such that the poles thereof form opposedportions of the duct. A vane is positioned within the duct to move fromside-toside thereof and has a permanent magnet attached thereto in aposition between the two opposed poles of the electro-magnet. At therearward end of the vane there is provided an extension pole having acontact at the upper end thereof. This pole extends through the upperwall of the duct into an air tight chamber. Mounted on opposite sides ofthe chamber are a plurality of change-over terminals which are connectedto a switching arrangement which is in turn connected to the coils ofthe electro-rnagnet such that movement of the contact operates toreverse the polarity of the poles of the electro-magnet. As theelectro-magnet poles are first energized, the permanent magnet isattracted to one side of the duct. This causes the vane to move towardone'side of the duct. This in turn causes the contact to change thepolarity of the electro-magnet whereby the permanent magnet and thus thevane are attracted to the opposite side of the duct. Therefore,continued movement of the vane causes continued reversal of the polarityof the electro-magnet and forced movement of the water through the duct.Thus, the vessel is propelled through the water.

With regard to use of the fluid driven mechanism of the prsent inventionin a permanent installation as an electrical generator, the pole of thevane is an extension ofa shaft mounting the vane. The permanent magnetis attached to the top of this extension. A plurality of electro-magnetare arranged outwardly of the duct in a manner that movement of thepermanent magnet will sequentially interrupt fields generated by theelectro-magnets. This causes generation of electricity which may bestored in any conventional manner.

The chambers employed in the various embodiments of the presentinvention contain air pockets and are thus inherently protected fromcontamination by water from the duct.

Other objects and features of the present invention will become apparentfrom the following detailed description taken together with theaccompanying drawlngs.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. I is a longitudinal sectionalview of a first embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line IIII of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic wiring diagram of the electrical system of theembodiment of FIG. ll;

FIG. 4 is a schematic plan diagram illustratingthe operation of thefirst embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view illustrating a second embodimentof the present invention; and

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken along line VlVI of FIG. 5.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION With reference to FIGS. 1 adetailed description of the fluid driven mechanism of the presentinvention used as a propulsion device for a vessel that moves throughthe water will be described in more detail.

A duct 6 is provided centrally of and extending in the longitudinaldirection of a vessel such as a ship (not shown). Duct 6 is made ofsuitable materials and in a suitable manner to be water tight and airtight with regard to the interior of the ship and provides a passagethrough which water flows. A movable vane 5 is positioned verticallywithin the duct 6 by means of a shaft 7 which is attached to first endsof a pair of connecting links 4 and 4'. The opposite ends of links 4 and4 are attached to the duct 6 by means such as fixed pins 8 and 8'located respectively on the top and bottom walls of the duct 6. Attachedto the shaft 7 is a permanent magnet l presenting opposite poles onopposite faces of the vane 5.

Surrounding duct 6 at a location corresponding to the permanent magnetI, is an electro-magnet M having suitable exciting coils 9 and 9'.Electro-magnet 14 also has a pair of poles 2 and 3 which extend inwardlyand form a portion of the inner surfaces of duct 6 in a manner to opposeeach other with the permanent magnet therebetween. Shaft '7 ispositioned such that it is closer to the forward end 5a than therearward end 5b of vane 5.

At the rearward end 5b of the vane 5 is an upwardly extending rod 10having suitable contacts 20 on the upper end thereof. An upper housing6a forming a chamber 13 therein extends upwardly from duct 6 at alocation to receive rod 10 and contacts 20. Rod 10 extends into chamber13 through slit 6b in the upper wall of duct 6.

As shown in FIG. 3, positioned in chamber 13 adjacent the front wall ofhousing 6a are a first group of change-over terminals. In theillustrated embodiment, this first group consists of a pair ofchange-over terminals 11a and 11b. Also in chamber 13 adjacent the backwall of housing 6a are located a second group of change-over terminals.In the illustrated embodiment, this second group consists of sixchange-over terminals 12a-12f. Contacts 20 are dimensioned to provideelectrical connection between terminal 11b and one of terminals 120-120,or between terminal 11a and one of terminals 12d-l2f.

Terminals 12a-12c are connected to a first changeover switch 15' adaptedto provide contact from only one of the three terminals at a time.Similarly, terminals l2d-12f are connected to a second change-overswitch 15 which will provide electrical contact to only one of theterminals. First change-over switch 15' is connected to a first end of afirst solenoid 23 of a relay system l6, and second change-over switch 15is connected to a first end of a second solenoid 24 of the relay system16. The other ends of the solenoids 23 and 24 are connected via a relaybattery 17 to the first group of change-over terminals 11a and 11b. Apair of movable contacts 25a are positioned between the coils ofsolenoids 23 and 24 and are urged toward one or the other thereof bysuitable means such as springs (not shown).

Movable contacts 25a are adapted to be moved selectively to contact twoof the three stationary contacts 25b to reverse the polarity of currentappearing at stationary contact terminals 21 and 22. Connected toterminals 21 and 22 are the exciting coils 9 and 9' of theelectro-magnet. Movable contacts 250 are connected to a variableresistor 19 and a power battery 18.

The operation of the embodiment of the present invention illustrated inFIGS. 14 will now be described. Assume that change-over switches 15' and15 are set as illustrated in FIG. 3, that is with electrical contact toterminals 12a and 12f, and that contacts 20 are in the central, neutralposition. Variable resistor 19 is adjusted for infinite resistance togradually less resistance. As this occurs, battery 18 energizes coils 9and 9' of the electro-magnet through contacts a and 25b and terminals 21and 22. Assume that movable contacts 250 are in the dotted line positionillustrated in FIG. 3. By this action an electro-magnetic field iscreated in the electro-magnet 14 which imparts a given polarity to thepoles 2 and 3. Dependent upon this polarity and the polarity of thepoles of permanent magnet l, permanent magnet l is urged toward one ofthe poles 2 and 3.

Assuming that permanent magnet l is urged toward pole 3, this will causethe shorter, forward end 50 of vane 5 to approach wall 60 of duct 6.Continued movement of magnet 1 toward pole 3 will result in the entirelength of vane 5 contacting wall 6c. At the end of this movement, rod 10of the vane will be positioned between terminals llb and 12a such thatcontacts 20 provide electrical connection therebetween. This connectionactuates solenoid 23 through change-over switch 15' and relay battery 17such that movable contacts 25b are moved to the solid line position ofFIG. 3. This reverses the current at terminals 21 and 22 and thusreverses the current in the electro-magnet 4 and the polarity of poles 2and 3. It will be apparent that permanent magnet 1 is thus repulsed frompole 3 and is urged toward pole 2. As this occurs, shorter, forward end511 of vane 5 will be caused to contact wall 6d of duct 6. As thisoccurs, fluid is drawn into the wedge-shaped section of the duct betweenthe wall 6c and the vane 5 as illustrated by the arrow E in FIG. 4.Furthermore movement of magnet 1 toward pole 2 causes the remainder ofthe vane 5 to move toward wall 6d. As this occurs, fluid in thewedge-shaped area between wall 6d and the vane is forced in thedirection indicated by the arrow F. This forcing of the fluid causes thefluid to generally flow through the duct 6 in the direction of thearrows.

When rearward end 5b of the vane arrives at wall 6d, contacts 20 on thetop of rod 10 create an electrical connection between terminals 11a and12f. This causes solenoid 23 to be inactive and actuates solenoid 24.This causes movable contacts 25a to return to the dotted line positionshown in FIG. 3 and results in a further reversal of the polarity of thecurrent at terminals 21 and 22 and thus a reversal of the polarity ofthe poles 2 and 3 of the electro-magnet 14. This initiates a furtherswinging of the vane back toward pole 3.

It will apparent that this continued reciprocation of the vane causesthe inducement ofa fluid stream in the direction of the arrows in FIG.4, and that forward motion is thus imparted to the vessel at apredetermined speed. It will be further apparent that variable resistor19 may be regulated to control the current supplied to the system fromthe battery, thereby controlling the speed of reciprocation of the vaneand thus the speed of the vessel. It will be even further apparent thatif change over switches 15' and 15 are reset to create contact atterminals 12b and 12e, the amplitude of movement of the vane will beshortened. This is represented in FIG. 4 by the dimension B.Accordingly, reciprocation of the vane will occur more often and thespeed of the vessel will thus be increased. Similarly, setting ofswitches 15' and 15 at terminals 12c and 12d, respectively, will furthershorten the amplitude of movement of the vane as indicated by A in FIG.4, thus even further increasing the speed of the vessel.

Additionally, the vessel may be steered by the selective setting ofchange-over switches 15 and 15. For instance, assume that switch 15' isset at terminal 12b and that switch 15 is set at terminal 12d. It willbe apparent that the amplitude of movement of the vane will be greaterin the lefthand side and that thus the vessel will be caused to turn tothe right.

Accordingly, it will be seen that a relatively simple mechanism has beenprovided for imparting propulsion to a vessel to be moved through thewater. It will be further apparent that chamber 13 will have therein anair space which will prevent water from entering therein andcontaminating the various electrical components. Furthermore, althoughthe width of the duct at the point of positioning of the magnets islimited by the capacity of the electro-magnet employed, the dimensionsof the movable vane may be freely adjusted as necessary to provide formost efficient operation.

The above discussion has been related to the use of the presentinvention for imparting propulsion to a vessel to be moved through thewater. However, it is known that many permanent structures locatedadjacent bodies of water rely upon movement of the water,

such as created by tidal currents, as a power source to generateelectricity. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that themechanism of the present invention by minor adjustments may be employedas such a generator. With reference now to FIGS. 5 and 6 of thedrawings, a preferred embodiment of such an arrangement will bedescribed.

This arrangement of the present invention is similar to that of FIGS.1-4. However, in this embodiment a housing 60' is provided extendingupwardly from duct 6 above the location of shaft 7 which supports vane5. Furthermore, shaft 7 is extended upwardy into chamber 13' withinhousing 6a and supports thereon a permanent magnet 26. A suitable numberof electromagnets 28a-28c and 29a-29c are mounted adjacent the top ofhousing 6a and have associated therewith suitable exciting coils 27 and27. The electro-magnets present suitable poles which form portions ofthe inner surface of chamber 13. It will be apparent that the entireapparatus of the electro-magnets are isolated from water flowing withinduct 6. It will be further apparent that as water moves through duct 6,for instance as a result of tidal currents, vane 5 and thus shaft 7 willbe caused to move from side-to-side within the duct. As this occurs, thefields of the electro-magnets will be interrupted, thus generating anelectric current which may be stored in any convention manner such as ina battery connected to regulator 31 through terminals 30 and 30'.

Although preferred embodiments of the present invention have beendescribed in detail, such description is intended to be illustrativeonly, and not restrictive, since many details of the invention may bealtered without modifying the scope thereof.

What is claimed is:

l. A fluid mechanism comprising a duct extending through a structure andadapted to have water flow therethrough; a vane vertically positioned insaid duct to extend in the longitudinal direction thereof; meanssupporting said vane for allowing said vane to reciprocate transverselyacross said duct, said means for supporting said vane comprising avertical shaft attached to said vane nearer the forward end than therearward end thereof; a permanent magnet attached to said support meansand having opposite poles; electro-magnet means having opposed polespositioned on opposite sides of said permanent magnet poles; and upperand lower connecting links having first ends thereof attached to saidshaft and second ends connected to said duct.

2. A fluid mechanism as claimed in claim 1, wherein said structure is avessel and said mechanism is a means for propelling said vessel throughthe water.

3. A fluid mechanism as claimed in claim 2, wherein said electro-magnetpoles form portions of the inner surfaces of said duct; and furthercomprises a housing fonning therein a chamber above said duct andcommunicating therewith, a rod attached to said rearward end of saidvane and extending upwardly into said chamber, contacts attached to thetop of said rod, and means positioned to be actuated by said contactsfor reversing the polarity of said electro-magnet poles.

4. A fluid mechanism as claimed in claim 3, wherein said means forreversing polarity comprises a first group of change-over terminalspositioned along the front wall of said housing; a second group ofchangeover terminals positioned along the rear wall of said housing; apair of change-over switches connected to said second group ofchange-over terminals; and a relay system'connected to said change-overswitches and to said first group of change-over terminals, said systemhaving terminals connected to said electro-magnet means and contacts forreversing the polarity of current to said terminals.

1. A fluid mechanism comprising a duct extending through a structure andadapted to have water flow therethrough; a vane vertically positioned insaid duct to extend in the longitudinal direction thereof; meanssupporting said vane for allowing said vane to reciprocate transverselyacross said duct, said means for supporting said vane comprising avertical shaft attached to said vane nearer the forward end than therearward end thereof; a permanent magnet attached to said support meansand having opposite poles; electro-magnet means having opposed polespositioned on opposite sides of said permanent magnet poles; and upperand lower connecting links having first ends thereof attached to saidshaft and second ends connected to said duct.
 2. A fluid mechanism asclaimed in claim 1, wherein said structure is a vessel and saidmechanism is a means for propelling said vessel through the water.
 3. Afluid mechanism as claimed in claim 2, wherein said electro-magnet polesform portions of the inner surfaces of said duct; and further comprisesa housing forming therein a chamber above said duct and communicatingtherewith, a rod attached to said rearward end of said vane andextending upwardly into said chamber, contacts attached to the top ofsaid rod, and means positioned to be actuated by said contacts forreversing the polarity of said electro-magnet poles.
 4. A fluidmechanism as claimed in claim 3, wherein said means for reversingpolarity comprises a first group of change-over terminals positionedalong the front wall of said housing; a second group of change-overterminals positioned along the rear wall of said housing; a pair ofchange-over switches connected to said second group of change-overterminals; and a relay system connected to said change-over switches andto said first group of change-over terminals, said system havingterminals connected to said electro-magnet means and contacts forreversing the polarity of current to said terminals.